In The Cold Dawn
by Lunar Sunsets
Summary: In the cold mornings, as the sun rose over the horizon, just barely turning the sky grey, the Hero slipped out of Bowerstone, a secret forever left behind. In the cold mornings, the Mayor woke to an empty bed and a broken heart, tears stinging her eyes.


**A/N: So I bought Fable TLC again on Steam and started playing it and when I had met both Lady Grey and Briar Rose, I began to wonder what exactly could have made them act the way they do. And since I'm in love with painful femslash, something inside me just told me that _obviously_ these two had some connection prior to the unnamed Hero's story. And this sort of happened. I'm not sorry in the slightest and I truly hope this is good enough for me to properly join the Fable fandom (or, what may remain of it) with. c:**

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The young blonde stared out from the balcony, staring up at the moon high in the sky over Bowerstone North, a ghost of a smile gracing her lips. Gently, she placed her hands on the stone railing, leaning slightly forward, rising to her tiptoes, appearing as if she were trying to fall over the edge of the railing. The sky was beginning to grey just at the horizon, signalling the end of the night the blonde wished and pleaded so desperately to hold onto for the rest of eternity.

The peace was soon broken by the last person the young woman wanted to see or hear making their appearance in the doorway behind her. "Elvira," a gruff voice whispered from behind her. The blonde closed her eyes, pursing her lips tightly and exhaling through her nose softly, annoyed. "What are you doing?"

"I just love looking up at the moon, if you must know, Briar," the slightly-annoyed blonde chuckled softly, opening her eyes and turning around to face a taller woman. The woman was apparently preparing to leave again, her bandanna tied around her head and her clothes again on neatly. The sight of the woman ready to sneak away in the darkness alone broke the young woman's heart. It felt as if the Hero harboured no feelings whatsoever and felt no remorse for leaving the woman alone each night, for weeks...months at a time.

Elvira hated the nights Briar left - she was always alone for days at a time when the Hero left on a quest. But for some reason, this night felt different. And, while Elvira normally had troubles sleeping on nights Briar left her, the mayor just couldn't get any sleep. She had come out on her balcony, originally, to stare at the moon until she felt she could sleep, but the Hero always seemed to know when she was troubled.

The taller woman slowly approached the mayor, reaching out and barely touching her pale arm. Elvira sighed, wanting nothing more than to melt into Briar's body, to be in her arms for the rest of their lives, no Heroic duties tearing them apart. Being a Hero wasn't the only reason they were almost always apart though…no…part of it was Elvira's position in Bowerstone. Her need to stay in power was another wedge between them. But, for the mayor, it was much easier to blame it all on Briar and her stupid dedication to being a Hero.

"Elvira…I'm sorry," Briar said softly. Almost as if she could read the mayor's mind, she pulled the shorter blonde into a hug. Elvira didn't hesitate to return Briar's hug, trying to keep them as close together as she possibly could. Briar was much stronger than she could ever hope to be and she knew that if Briar wanted to end the hug, the hug would be over. Usually, Briar let Elvira pull away because of this, but this time she didn't. This time, the Hero moved away, keeping the mayor at arm's distance. A look of regret crossed her face for a moment before being replaced by the steely look Briar often wore. "I'm sorry."

The mayor was close to crying. Her heart ached for Briar to return with her inside, to let the sun rise and light the sky and reveal the two of them to the people of Bowerstone. "Briar please…you don't have to leave," Elvira whispered. "You don't have to be a Hero. I can give you all that you need - all that you want. Please."

"You know I'll be back, Elvira," Briar said, smiling just a little. "I always come back."

At these words, the mayor grew angry, her sorrow and pain morphing into pure rage directed at the Hero. "No you won't," she hissed, roughly shaking Briar's hands off her shoulders. The Hero seemed surprised by the mayor's sudden change in emotion, hurt by the woman's accusation, but tried not to seem too obvious. Heroes knew how to act stone cold, like emotionless statues there only for protecting the people of Albion. "You know as well as I do that tonight is different, Briar. You're going to stay out there - you're never going to return to me."

"I will."

The emotionless Hero always angered Elvira to the point where she wouldn't even listen anymore. The mayor finally snapped, her emotions pouring from in her in the form of tears and cold-hearted words. "You won't. It is blatantly obvious that you're not going to return - every time you leave, you're gone for longer. Whenever you're here, you seem eager to leave again and you leave before I can say goodbye, Briar," Elvira said, finally sick of keeping it all inside. "You're leaving tonight and you're not coming back."

The Hero was silent, her gaze dropping to her feet. Her fists balled up at her sides as if she were preparing to hit something.

When the silence became too much to bare, the mayor spoke again, her voice softer than before, a tinge of fear peaking out beneath the attempted emotionless tone of the words. "Did you find someone else?" Elvira was never good at acting as uncaring and cold as Briar. She assumed it came with being a Hero, with seeing so much death in everyday life. Sometimes, she envied Briar's acting talent, wishing she had the same ability, even if just for a moment. So that she could go through the mornings without feeling alone and hurt.

The silence following her question was enough answer for Elvira. She turned her back to Briar, sighing and shaking her head. "Your silence tells me more than words could ever hope to, Briar…I'm sorry…" The mayor was silent for a moment, her eyes beginning to fill with tears again. She exhaled as quietly and evenly as she could, putting off saying her next words for as long as she could. "I hope they make you as happy as you made me, Briar. I…I truly loved you and I hope you can find something that comes even close to how I feel when I'm with you."

"Such kind words from you, Elvira," Briar chuckled, her timing a bit off. Elvira couldn't help but smile just a little at the Hero's attempt to ease the heartbreak. "I hope you can find love again. Again, I'm sorry."

"Goodbye, Briar."

"Goodbye, Lady Grey."


End file.
